The New York–based publishing house World Poetry Books has released the English-language poetry collection “Girl with a Bullet” by Ukrainian writer Anna Malihon. The book was translated by Oksana Jennings — a poet, translator, and well-known promoter of contemporary Ukrainian literature abroad.
This was reported by the author, Anna Malihon, on her Facebook page.
According to the publisher, this marks the Ukrainian poet’s English-language debut, combining works written both before and after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The collection brings together themes of war, loss, love, and inner resilience.
“I’m happy to share an important milestone — my book ‘Girl with a Bullet’ has been published in English, translated by Oksana Jennings. I’m deeply grateful to Oksana for her work, to World Poetry Books for believing in me, to the organization Razom for Ukraine, and to my friends for their support. While I’m preparing for my presentation tour, I’m feeling all your warm encouragement,” Maligon wrote.
In the book’s foreword, the editors highlight that “Malihon’s poems about life during war, as translated by Jennings, are an emotionally devastating yet restrained experience: she depicts devastated Ukrainian cities where ‘it’s now so empty that there’s no one left to harm,’ yet brings us back to humanity through images of love, family memories, and ‘slow soft awakenings.’”
The publisher noted,that “Girl with a Bullet” unites poems written before and after Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine, capturing the experience of conflict, loss, love, and endurance. “The intertwined fates of the characters reflect the author’s own experiences, forming a world where the young grow old, and love collides with war. Through deft allegories and powerful metaphors, Malihon crafts poetry that seeks to influence the course of history,” reads the book description.
Poet and translator Olga Livshin described the collection as “beautiful, sensitive, and precise,” praising Oksana Jennings’s translation and Malihon’s ability to merge folk cadence with the poetics of trauma and exile.
The U.S. book tour has already beganAs part of the Ukrainian Cultural Festival by Razom for Ukraine, Anna Malihon will present “Girl with a Bullet” in Brooklyn. The live reading and presentation will take place on October 29 at 7:00 PM at Kvartira, a cultural space in New York. Organizers describe the event as a celebration of new Ukrainian poetry, inviting everyone interested in contemporary literature, culture, and voices of resistance to attend.
Background
Anna Malihon is an award-winning poet and writer, a member of the National Writers’ Union of Ukraine. She is the author of the poetry collections “Burnt Skin,” “Rosary,” and the novel “Teach Her to Do It.” Her works have been translated into Bulgarian, Polish, Czech, French, and Armenian, and published in numerous Ukrainian literary magazines and anthologies. In 2022, Malihon was forced to leave Ukraine due to Russia’s full-scale invasion. She currently resides in Paris, France.
Oksana Jennings is a poet and translator, author of the poetry collection “The Age of Secrets” and the novel “Temporary Shelter.” She lives in Queens, New York, where she founded the reading series and small press Poets of Queens, which supports poets from diverse cultural communities.
Photo: Anna Malihon
Author: Danylo Pievchev